Potato News from Australia

Workers at the Department of Primary Industry’s (DPI) potato research facility at Toolangi have been told the facility is to close. The jobs of seven of the 11 staff members are to be relocated to Knoxfield while four have found themselves without job...

In an article entitled "Grocery report's disparities only small fry",  Paul Sheehan notes: "The figure you need to know is the price for a kilo of potatoes from the farm gate: 55 cents. That is the most common bulk price sold to wholesal...

The potato processor, Simplot Australia, and farmers have been negotiating prices for four months and have agreed to a 35 per cent price rise for the coming crop. Simplot's managing director, Terry O'Brien, says both sides have ended up in a good pla...

An attempt to make Ausveg into a grower-controlled organisation at a special general meeting in Sydney today has been torpedoed by a group of State executive officers. A draft new constitution was put to the Ausveg board - principally representatives o...

McCain Foods has confirmed a cleaning cloth was found in a bag of frozen chips in New Zealand earlier this month. A supermarket checkout operator made the discovery after the package felt unusual. The contamination was reported to McCain Foods and has...

Simplot spud growers say they could be forced to opt out of growing the crop after price negotiations on new contracts hit a stalemate this week. The farmers are seeking a record 33 per cent price rise due to skyrocketing fuel and fertiliser costs tha...

Braddon MHA Bryan Green says a new state-of-the-art storage facility on the North-West Coast builds on the region’s reputation as Australia’s premier potato-growing area.Mr Green today officially opened the $2 million development undertaken by long tim...

The soil is deep, red and rich in Gippsland's famous potato country. Despite the drought there's water in the dams and the creeks still flow. This region, in the hills above Warragul, is so famous for its potatoes that a coach load of tourists has trav...

The Victorian potato industry is struggling because of the heatwave. This year's potato crop was expected to be successful after a good start, but the recent hot weather has dried up irrigation sources. Norm Suckling, a potato farmer from Mollongghip ...

In Australia, a country with 21 million people, an average of 1.2 million Australians a day walked through the golden arches in 2007. The McDoanld's franchise, which has 762 restaurants across Australia, notched double-digit growth over the calendar ...

Vegetable processor Simplot Australia will import a third of its potatoes this year, more than it has ever had to before. Concerns over water shortages in Tasmania meant that not enough farmers were able to sign contracts to supply potatoes to Simplot...

 new study of Australians' fast food eating habits is raising the question: should more be done to promote so-called "healthier"fast food options, instead of trying to prevent people from eating fast food altogether?   Emily Brindal, a Univer...

In CY 2006, Australia produced 1,255 TMT of potatoes from 35,485 hectares, suggesting an average yield per hectare of 35.4 MT. Recently industry restructure and drought has resulted in a potato trade deficit, with growth in imports outstripping exports...

The Minister for Regional and Rural Development, Jacinta Allan, today announced a $635,474 Brumby Government grant for a Central Highlands Water project which will help McCain Foods Australia/New Zealand reduce its potable water use by a further 15 per cent.

The western Victorian regional city of Ballarat (population: 88,000) would not be the first city that would spring to mind when considering likely locations for the Australian headquarters of a global company.

The potential of the Northern Territory to become Australia's next food bowl may be being realised, with potatoes becoming the latest successfully grown crop. A serious shortage of potatoes in southern Australia has driven up the price, making the cro...

SIMPLOT chief information officer Martin Nowak-Rowe has more to worry about than server loads and service-oriented architecture. As the tech chief of a major food manufacturer he also has to keep tabs on the latest technologies to stop produce-borne e...

The Australian potato industry is set for increased success after AUSVEG and the Potato Processors Association of Australian (PPAA) formalised their commitment to working together for the betterment of the industry by signing a historic Memorandum of ...